


Heart Strong

by ImagineGladions



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Action, Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Ancient Greece, Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Alternate Universe - Hercules AU, F/M, Fluff, No Pokémon, Reader-Insert, Sibling Bonding, frienship, general kicking of ass, loosely based on Disney's Hercules, unfortunately
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-14
Updated: 2017-07-14
Packaged: 2018-12-02 01:44:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11499150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImagineGladions/pseuds/ImagineGladions
Summary: His name is Haucules. His friends call him Hau. Or at least, they would, if he had any friends. His grandfather, Hala (Zeus), is stuck in Olympus unable to help him and his father Apollo is doing whatever. In the meantime, Hau has to become a True Hero.His name is Gladion. He’s being held captive by the Lord of the Underworld because his sister just had to save a poor kitten from being run over by a cart. Now, he’s stuck literally in hell with two immortal idiots.You’re a bystander who wants to know just what the hell is going on and why the heck Zeus and Hades keep looking at you and grinning like they know something you don’t.





	Heart Strong

> _Certain voices hold this odd pull on our **heartstrings**. They are like sad oboes or something, something that makes you want to throw all your money at the radio while yelling, “_ I love you. _” I don’t know what it is._  
> 
> \- Jonathan Goldstein

The thing about being a temple helper is you see some crazy things.

The Temple of Zeus was silent. At this time of night, you wouldn’t really expect anyone to be around praying or making offerings or lighting candles. You liked to stand in the small garden just outside and look up at the stars. 

Of course, it’s at this point that you notice one of the stars was moving. It was moving very quickly and very much in your direction.

Before you could dive behind some statue or other the star got closer and larger and took the form of a white horse with an electric yellow mane and honest to gods  _wings_. And atop the horse with wings, Pegasi shouts a part of your brain that remembers your mother’s bedtime stories, sits a dark skinned boy.

You look around to see if anyone else was around and cursed at your stupidity. All the other temple helpers and priests were asleep. You were even dressed in casual wear. Your temple robes that you usually wear over your inner garments were neatly folded in your rooms and you only had your inner garments and a shawl with you to keep the cold away. 

“Hera, help us.” You hissed and followed the dark skinned pegasus rider into the temple. 

You were a helper at the Temple of Zeus. You’ve seen a lot of things. You’ve seen weird sacrifices of dubious natures, strange worship rituals, and the occasional walking in on other helpers in situations that are almost unreal. 

But nothing, not one single thing, you have ever experienced in all your years of living ever prepared you for the statue of Zeus moving and freaking hugging said dark skinned boy to him.

“Oh, it’s [Y/N]!” Zeus’ statue grinned, gently nudging you away from where you were hiding. “You’ve been kind and helpful, my child.” He praised.

You stare up, blinking at him. “Uh, thank you? Mister Zeus, you’re a statue.” 

“I just came down to see how my boy Hau is doing.” He gestured to the dark skinned boy. 

Hau came forward, wide smile on his face. “Nice to meet you! I’m Hau, I’m training to be a hero.”

You blink at him, unable to comprehend just how innocent he sounded. A hero? You thought back to when you’d been younger with dreams of becoming the strongest warrior since Achilles and Jason and all those heroes of legend. You shook your head. Real life happened and now you serve Zeus. You didn’t have a grand prophecy to fulfill. But, the boy in front of you looked like he could have one of his own.

He did have the mighty Zeus behind him. 

“Well, if you need any help you know where to come, Master Hau.” You bowed low. “I’ll be sure to pray to Zeus for you.” You said, almost laughing at how silly it is to say that when Zeus was standing in front of you.

Hau grinned wider, extending a hand out to you. “It was my pleasure! You can come to me too if you need a hero, of course.” He said, taking your hand in his and placing a chaste kiss on it sending chills up your arm and down your spine.

“I will remember you, then.” You nod, at a loss for what to say.

Hau merely nodded enthusiastically, seeming happy with your response. “Looking forward to it.”

You take your leave, catching Zeus muttering to his grandson – whose child is Hau? You make a mental note to ask some other time – about the murals on the wall and even without looking you know he is telling Hau of the deities hovering above Zeus on the walls of the temple. 

“Before the Olympians, was the reign of the first deity of the sky.” He spoke softly, you smile at his speech. It was the speech you often gave to the children visiting the temple. “This deity was named… Aether.”

* * *

Of course, as a temple helper, you have chores to do that do not include telling children about Aether and the Ourea that the deity spawned up until the reign of Zeus.

Hau was nowhere to be found when you woke early the next morning to carry water from the nearby river to refill the temple’s stock. You could get water from the well in town but the townsfolk have run low recently and they deserve every drop they can take from the well. You hike the water pot higher so you could grip it better as you walked to the river. 

You must not have prayed enough this week because the moment you stoop down to draw water into the pot, you are snatched up by a large man with the torso of a bull. 

Before you could scream, you are lowered still in the large man’s fist so that you were face to face with a boy in a dark tunic. 

“Maybe you do not care overmuch for humanity but surely you will not allow a brother of yours to suffer under the thumb of one such as Hades!” He waved you around, looking like he was testing the shorter much more mortal being before him.

The boy in the tunic scoffed. “You trashed a village, the only way you can save yourself is to join Hades and that is exactly what he wants. He will get it, regardless of what you or I want.” He rolled his eyes, sighing heavily. “And if you are not joining Hades’ cause you are hardly a brother of mine, Achelous.”

Achelous looks down at his ‘brother’ sadly and your lessons on deities return to you. The half bull holding you was none other than Achelous, prince of rivers, and he must be watching over this river replacing the older river guardian that you were more used to seeing here. You found yourself drifting away from the conversation between Achelous and the boy in the dark tunic to wondering why on Earth the son of Gaia was protecting this small river next to a temple of Zeus’ when Zeus’ followers and Gaia’s were not on the best of terms.

“Stop! I was still fighting you!” A smaller figure in the distance shouted swinging around a sword with a satyr and a familiar pegasus following him. Hau stopped running several feet away from the god and pointed his sword up at him in disbelief. “Temple Helper?”

You gave him a look that you hoped adequately expressed your displeasure. 

Hau laughed awkwardly and then fixed his gaze on the boy in the dark tunic. “Is this guy with you, sir?” He asked.

“I’m hardly a sir.” The boy massaged his forehead with one shaky hand. “I heard he leveled a village.” The boy said, stepping away from the god anticipating a fight. 

“Aye.” Hau nodded. “A village of bandits but still a village.”

The boy raised a brow at Achelous and waved a hand in the air. The surrounding area darkened and the waters of the river rose tossing threateningly here and there. “I, Gladion, as a representative of Hades, I cannot in good conscience overlook what you have done and the lives you have taken.” He said, sounding like this was a beginning of a long spiel he’d made time and time again far too often for his own liking. “But, it is hardly sane of me to oppose a god.” 

“A god?” Hau yelled, shielding his eyes as Achelous set you down gently in the water and touched your arm, a blue glow lighting up as characters blinked bright blue on your skin and then disappeared. He began to glow and merge with the waters of the steadily calming river. 

Achelous glanced back at the boy – Gladion – and gave one last chuckle before sinking into the liquid. “What irony.” 

All were silent, staring down at the patch of flowing water where Achelous disappeared until with a scoff Gladion walked towards you. 

“Let me see what he’s done.” He waved a hand over you and the scenery changed back, the blue glow sprang up on your flesh again before quickly dispersing like it was afraid of Gladion’s gaze. “It’s not a big problem, it is actually a kindness. He’s set a mark of protection on you. As long as you are in his domain you are not to be harmed.” He pointed to the water. “Which is, wherever there is a river.”

You smile a bit. “That’s convenient, actually. Thank you.”

Gladion shrugged. “I didn’t place the mark on you.” He crossed his arms. “But, we don’t know what his intentions were for placing a mark on you in the first place.” He eyed you skeptically.

“I’ve never met him before. I’ve only dealt with the previous river guardian a few times to pay homage to him so I can take water from the river.” You explained, feeling nervous under Gladion’s scrutiny. 

Hau stepped in between the two of you grinning widely. “Well! No one is hurt and you even got protection from a god of rivers! So, everything is a-okay!” He cheered.

Gladion frowned at his intrusion, clearly dissatisfied with the lack of answers. 

“Right, mister representative of the underworld, I’m [Y/N]. I’m a temple helper from the Temple of Zeus.” You introduced yourself. “And this is…”

“Hau! Hero in training.” Hau shook Gladion’s hand vigorously. “That’s my trainer, Kukui, and my Pegasus, Koko!” He waved towards his two companions.

Gladion let go of Hau’s hand and started walking back to where he came from which was across the river. “It was a pleasure, but I must be going.”

“We can walk with you, if you want.” You offer. “It’s the least we can do after you saved us from Achelous.” You smile.

“You don’t want to associate yourselves with me.” Gladion looked back at you seriously. “Hope that you will never see me again.” He said darkly, disappearing into the foliage. 

Hau took in a deep breath. “It’s hard to breathe around him, huh?” 

You stare into the foliage, wishing Gladion would come back and talk more. Something inside your chest felt like there was more to the story of the pale boy in the dark tunic other than being Hades’ representative. And while it was better to edge away from anything relating to Hades, you knew somehow that Gladion had good intentions.

For now, though, water for the temple. And then, you’d pray to Zeus to keep Gladion safe until you meet again.

“Would you help me with the water, Hau?” You ask, grinning.

Hau lit up and after filling up two pots, took off back to the temple with you.


End file.
